WHEELER, TX |
April 4, 2009

At least two homes and business west of the eastern Panhandle county seat were destroyed and damage was reported to a few buildings in the town according to a spokesman for the Wheeler County Sheriff's Office.

As the fire approached the town, emergency officials evacuated the local hospital and an assisted living center.

Winds approaching 60 miles per hour were reported across the Texas Panhandle Saturday fanning the wildfire and causing dust storms that were blamed for causing multiple accidents. The fire was contained southwest of the town.

Wheeler, located in the eastern Texas Panhandle about 100 miles east of Amarillo and 12 miles west of the Oklahoma border, includes about 1,300 residents.